“Don’t Block Me In”

April 1, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Don’t Block Me In”

I’ve known since I was quite young that I do not like small, confined spaces.    I need space around me to move and stretch and so I can breathe unoccupied air.  Crowds make me very nervous.  Riding in tiny cars is definitely out.  Spelunking?  Not even a consideration!

When I go to a restaurant I need to sit at a table that isn’t too close to another and where I can easily get out.    When I go to church I need to sit at the end of the pew (or close enough that I can get out without other people having to be involved in the process).  When I drive on the interstate and see congestion ahead, I move to the right lane so I have the option of an early exit.

My need for space doesn’t inhibit my life.  I have lots of coping mechanisms that I quietly put in place.  In fact, if I didn’t expose this issue here, most people would have no idea.

I just don’t like to be blocked in.

Why write about this today?

I’ve had a few experiences lately when I’ve been blocked in so it has come to mind a bit.  For starters, my husband and I share a reasonable size master closet.  It’s not like some you see on TV where you could invite the family over for Thanksgiving dinner in there, but it is more than a coat closet.  Because our schedules are different we rarely end up at the closet at the same time.  He chooses his work outfit before bed and moves it to the bathroom so he can dress after his shower without waking the rest of us who like to get another hour or two of sleep.  I usually choose an outfit in the morning.  Lately, however, my schedule has been quite busy and my days have included early morning rehearsals, meetings, and classes.  I’ve needed to choose outfits in the evening and we’ve ended up at the closet at the same time rather often.  It’s okay if he gets there first.  I just wait him out and then go in.  If I get there first he doesn’t seem to have the same waiting ability.  He just walks in and stands in the middle of the room to think and ponder tie choices, shirt colors, shoes and the like.  Problem is…. I get stuck in the back of the closet and can’t move.   It’s like all the air whooshes out of the room and I cannot get out of there quick enough.

A few weeks ago, I helped with after mass hospitality.  One of our favorite priests was recently reassigned to a new parish and we had a larger than usual coffee hour to say good-bye.  So many people donated cookies, pastries, and cakes and they were delicious.  But we also had a ton of cookies, pastries, and cakes left over.  The church has a large upright freezer where we can keep some of the donations to use again for the next coffee hour and it was my job to store the goodies there.  This freezer is located in a walkway and is angled so that the door handle is next to the wall.  To open the freezer door, you must stand directly in front of the freezer (because you cannot walk farther past the freezer – there is a wall there).  The space in front of the freezer is about 3” wider than the door itself.  I’m not a math person but it is easy to figure out that, in order to open the door, you have to have a really good plan or be incredibly thin.  The only way I could get in that freezer was to open the door halfway, squeeze between the door and the wall, and then continue to open the door.  And I had to do this while holding multiple bags of goodies.  Five times.  I’m sure other people find the situation humorous but I found it downright uncomfortable.  This little voice in my head kept saying “Why couldn’t they put the freezer on the opposite wall so the door swings away?”  I may have to work on this.

Parking lots have always been at issue for me.  A crowded parking lot is just as bad as a crowded elevator.  I feel stuck and closed in and blocked.  Target has spaces that are too tight.  Love the store – hate the parking lot.  A church in central NY (which shall remain nameless) has the style of parking where the first arrival pulls all the way through the long parking space then the next person directly behind and so on, until three or four cars are parked bumper to bumper in one long space.  If you are the first or last in line, you are all set.  If you are number two or three?  Better go to the coffee hour and wait it out.  My car likes to breathe unoccupied air too.

Don’t block us in.

But most of all, I had to write this blog today because one of my dear devoted blog followers blocked me in yesterday.  (Well, not me but an extension of me).  She realized the problem immediately and was very apologetic.  No harm done.  But, laughingly, she said “This will probably end up in one of your blogs, wont’ it?” 

Yup.

Hope you enjoyed the read.